Equinux (http://www.equinux.com) has released VPN Tracker 7.0, the newest version of its IPSec-based VPN client for Mac OS X. Key features of VPN Tracker 7 are Network Scanner, Accounting and an even easier rollout and license management.

VPN Tracker simplifies the roll-out of VPN software through a licensing and deployment system, according to equinux CEO Till Schadde. The Mail based software distribution automatically creates a special disk images that includes the correct edition of VPN Tracker, a pre-configured Secure Desktop and VPN Connection as well as the software-license. The software distribution is based on a voucher-system that makes licensing VPN Tracker child's play.

VPN Tracker is available in three editions. Existing VPN Tracker customers can purchase an upgrade to VPN Tracker 7 starting at US$49.90. Full versions start at $99.90. VPN Tracker Protection Plan members can upgrade to VPN...

Mapdiva has updated Artboard (http://mapdiva.com/artboard), their vector drawing software for Mac OS X, to version 1.8. It's available exclusively on the Mac App Store in the Graphics & Design category.

The update introduces social sharing of drawings, new power-features, and enhanced performance. It requires Mac OS X 10.6 and costs US$25.99.

Artboard includes over 1,700 styles and fully editable clip art, including speech bubbles, buttons, maps and flags, people factory, and home planning, plus a library to store your own creations. The software features a style generator and stacked styles, providing a range of effects. It takes advantage of a Core Image-supported graphics card. A demo version, tutorials and more can be found at the Mapdiva web site.

The International Trade Commission (ITC) staff has rejected Google's public interest arguments and recommends an import ban against Samsung, according to "FOSS Patents" (http://tinyurl.com/lsbdgof).

An Administrative Law Judge had found Samsung to infringe four Apple patents (three utility patents, one design patent), the article adds. His findings are now being reviewed by the Commission, the six-member decision-making body at the top of the U.S. trade agency.

"Some of the submissions discourage an exclusion order (import ban) against Android-based Samsung devices, while many just warn against the impact of an order that, due to insufficient clarity, might lead in seizures of non-infringing Samsung products by U.S. customs officers," Florian Mueller writes for "FOSS Patents."

This is all part of the ongoing, global legal battle. Apple and Samsung have filed more than 30 lawsuits...

WhereCloud, a mobile development studio, has released its AppCoreKit iOS application framework as an open source project to help iOS developers transition to Apple's newly announced iOS 7 mobile operating system.

The framework is the result of WhereCloud's experience building great apps in a variety of business domains. The framework is already powering more than 50 applications currently available on the Apple App Store.

"We've packaged great implementations of the most common design patterns right into AppCoreKit, so you don't have to reinvent the wheel every time you sit down and start a new iOS project," says WhereCloud Chief Technical Officer Fred Brunel.

The framework and a number of high quality samples are already available on GitHub. iOS developers can quickly start evaluating and integrating the framework in new applications they are building, says Brunel. For more info go to http...

Enterprise Mobile, a business unit of Intermec Technologies, says it has added managed services support for the Mac OS X platform. Enterprise Mobile works with enterprise customers to plan, execute, support, and manage mobile device deployments, including smartphones, rugged handhelds, and tablets.

The steady strength of the bring-your-own-device trend has prompted more enterprise technology leaders to evaluate the use of personal devices at work. Along with the proliferation of iPhones, enterprise IT organizations are dealing with rising demand among employees to swap company-issued Windows PCs for Apple Macs.

In a 2012 survey, one leading analyst firm found that more than 60 percent of businesses reported plans to allow for a greater use of Macs over the next several years. This will amplify the need for provisioning, configuration, and support requirements specific to Mac environments, as well as depot capabilities for replacing lost or broken devices, says Bill...

Having already filed an US$3 billion dollar class action with regard to the alleged government privacy abuse by the Obama administration and Verizon, Larry Klayman, founder of Judicial Watch and now Freedom Watch, and a former Justice Department prosecutor, filed a new US$20 billion dollar companion class action suit in DC federal court today.

Like the prior class action suit concerning Verizon, this new case names President Obama, Attorney General Eric Holder, the heads of the NSA and the 12 other companies (including Apple) who have collaborated with the government in violating the privacy and other constitutional rights of American citizens.

The companies named in the suit which are tied to the government's PRISM- NSA scheme are: Apple, Sprint, T-Mobile, AT&T, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, Skype, YouTube, PalTalk, AOL, and Yahoo. Larry Klayman issued the following statement in the wake of filing this new class action:

"This and the Verizon class action...

ATTO Technology has confirmed continued commitment to the newly announced line of product updates from Apple, including OS X Mavericks, the radically redesigned Mac Pro, and the updated MacBook Air.

As a pioneer in Thunderbolt enabled solutions, ATTO has worked closely with Apple to provide connectivity to high-performance Fibre Channel and SAS/SATA storage, as well as 10Gb/s Ethernet networks in their ThunderLink Desklink line, supporting Apple’s full range of platforms, says Timothy J. Klein, president and CEO at ATTO Technology. For more info go to www.attotech.com .

The FileMaker Technical Network -- a community for anyone who creates custom solutions for iPad, iPhone, desktops  and the web with the FileMaker product line -- has reached 50,000 members. The FileMaker Technical Network offers free technical resources for FileMaker developers and users, all at no charge to members.

Geared to help members hone their FileMaker solutions and skills, membership in the FileMaker Technical Network includes: access to hundreds of downloadable scripts; calculations and functions; how-to articles; technical briefs and white papers; members-only webinars; development resources for FileMaker Go for iPad and iPhone; and access to an online developer forum for sharing FileMaker tips, ideas and expertise. Members can search for content on specific topics in English, French, Italian, Japanese and German.  

Continuously updated with fresh content, additions in the past 90 days include new technical briefs and integration guides, webinars and...

A thriller adventure, Righteous Kill has launched on the Mac App Store, courtesy of G5 Entertainment and Starz Media. You can try the game for free and unlock the full version for US$2.99 through June 13 (it's regularly $4.99).

Here's how the game is described: "The game is a hidden object mystery inspired by the film of the same name. You are a police detective in NY and have been just assigned to Vigilante Unit, a squad created to apprehend people who decide to take the law into their own hands. Your first case puts you on the trail of a husband who's suspected of trying to kill the people responsible for murdering his wife and daughter.

"It's up to you to find this man before he commits any more heinous crimes and bring him to justice. Follow the twists of the story and find out the truth about the killer. Search over 70 locations through 15 animated levels, play forensic based mini-games, find all the clues and stop the creep before he has another opportunity to...

PipelineFX (www.pipelinefx.com), creator of render farm management software for digital media creation, has released Qube! 6.5 for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux systems. It includes new tools for job tagging, configuration, and reporting; the upgrade also sports improvements to Smart Farming functionality.

"In this time of industry turmoil, understanding the real economics of visual effects has become more important than ever," says Richard Lewis, CEO of PipelineFX. "Tools like cost accounting and the ability to Smart Farm actionable intelligence from your render pipeline offer proven methods for accurately assessing and correcting inefficiencies."

Qube! 6.5 now works with Autodesk 2014 products, and supports Maxwell Cooperative Rendering with "resume rendering" support. Customers currently on subscription can download version 6.5 immediately from the PipelineFX web site.

TeoreX has updated iResizer -- an utility designed to intellectually resize pictures and remove undesired objects, persons or empty space from photographs by "folding" photos -- to version 2.3. The update sports a one-click approach to the process thanks to smart analysis of the image and unique "folding" algorithms.



iResizer 2.3 virtually "folds" the image so that some parts of the frame overlap others, making them "invisible." This allows users to, effectively, shorten a space between objects or persons, hide unwanted pieces of the composition, exclude certain persons from the photo and more.


In addition to concertina folding of pictures, iResizer offers other image resizing tools. It's available for Mac OS X 10.7 or higher and costs US$19.99 for new users. Learn more at http://www.iresizer.com/ .